


Sleeping Sickness

by airsalonpasandpettysquabbles



Series: Fiends to Friends [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Also Dead Jim, And because it was on my mind, And emotional, I misjudged Trollhunters at first, Intrepid Jim, Multi, Self-Sacrificing Jim, This was written because Wizards isn't hecking out yet, but it's great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-30 05:30:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20809334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airsalonpasandpettysquabbles/pseuds/airsalonpasandpettysquabbles
Summary: It's the final battle against Morgana but not everyone makes it out alive...





	Sleeping Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Just wanted to say that this will be part of a series that I will gradually update and that this particular idea has been on my mind for a while.

Jim was dead, to put it mildly. Honestly, how else was he supposed to say it? But that's James, ever the blunt one.

"Trollhunter."

He turned around to face the familiar voice he had come to know, time and time again.

"Kanjigar. Where am I?"

"You're in your mind, of course," he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It would explain the lack of the past Trollhunters, the _ghost council_ as he and Toby liked to call them.

"Right, so how do I know I am not hallucinating, or something? You could be a figment of my imagination, for all I know."

"Well, I suppose I could be...but Deya knows you have absolutely no time to ponder on such things."

"Why not?"

"Because you have a choice to make, James Lake Jr."

* * *

"Jim, come on, you can't just leave us like that!"

The world around Claire was blurred and in turmoil, but she chose to ignore the sirens, screams, and desolate desperation of Arcadia. Arcadia, her hometown, her world, placed over a secret world of trolls. She should be helping others, clearing out crowded spaces, getting everyone to safety, but all she could focus on was Jim.

"Claire, let him pass. His time has come." Merlin reasoned with uncertainty, sounding like he was trying to convince himself instead.

"He can't be- he's...he's saved us all. He's given too much without ever wanting anything in return."

"We shall indeed be forever in his debt."

But that didn't stop the fact that Jim was paling and losing his color quickly, "Merlin, can't you do anything, anything at all?!"

"A Trollhunter's job is to protect and defend, my dear. Even in the darkest hours, even if it means sacrifices. In the end, it will always be a difficult and hearty job to fulfill.

* * *

"What kind of choice do I have to make?"

"Well, the council has seen all of your sacrifices and efforts throughout the past years. They, as have I, have deemed you worthy of a life-changing decision. The latter is complexly simple. You can either stay in this comatose state, nearly dead and eventually live out your life with a damaged body and a damaged mind. You are but a boy, both your body and mind undeveloped, definitely not suited for this much war and damage. Not to mention all the stress you've been put through... So, the other choice is that of death, yours to be precise, but everything would revert back to its original ways. The physical damage done to both Arcadia and Trollmarket will be a thing of the past, their original state of order reinstated as if nothing had happened. The good of heart who have perished without sole reasoning, even the ones who have turned, perhaps sacrificing themselves, will return as well. Including my son..."

"Draal, even Angor Rot," he spoke softly.

"I know this is a big decision, one a sixteen-year-old boy should not make in the first place, but-"

"I accept."

"Pardon?"

"I accept your offer as well as the consequences that entail."

"You accept death then, young Trollhunter?"

"If it'll restore peace, as well as old friends who deserve second chances, then I'd accept death with open arms."

"Congratulations are in order, then. You've sealed your fate, as well as the fate of many others. I'll make sure to give an iconic eulogy at your funeral."

"Wait, what?"

"Sweet dreams, James Lake Junior."

* * *

Time seemed to freeze, as the world reverted back to its calmness from before. Those who weren't already unconscious from the battle were struggling to stay awake. Even Merlin, who had slept for hundreds /thousands/ of years, looked to be on the verge of sleeping. None had time to wonder why black edges were sifting through their already blurry vision.

Silence. Nothing but deafening, infinite silence. Until a booming voice, "People of Arcadia, Trolls of Trollmarket, and others /cough cough, aliens/. Today we thank our savior, hunter, and protector of both worlds. The Trollhunter, who fits all of these descriptions, is merely a teenage boy. A sixteen-year-old who could have lead a normal life instead chose to lead allies, friends, to battle and safety. Not to mention the countless forces who were at first against him, in the end, chose to stand by him and fight. He made sacrifices none of us could or would have made." Kanjigar's voice abrupted to let the next dead Trollhunter speak: Deya. 

"He was loyal, courageous, determined and pure of heart, and that is what made him worthy of Merlin's amulet. The amulet in question needed someone who could bring out the best in it, someone with pure intentions, someone who was capable of loving even though emotional connections are dangerous for warriors such as him. However, he didn't need the amulet to make him worthy: he was already a hero who only needed a small push."

Unkar /the Unfortunate/ took over, "He spoke of how he was afraid, but who isn't? In this war, in every day, it's what makes us who we are. It's what made him who he was. Being so didn't make him any less of a hero, in reality, it made him a better one. He is the best hero out of us all; even in the end when he made personal sacrifices, even after the end when he chose your safety over his."

One of the most celebrated Trollhunters, Maddrux, concluded the speech, "Whether you were alive or dead, know that you are here, now, because of him. All the lives he has touched, all the differences he has made, all the things he made look easy, cherish them. Cherish them now, for today we not only thank James Lake Junior, but we also mourn his death."

Memories, _his_ memories, played back to the entirety of Arcadia Oaks: memories of when he found the amulet, to when he broke it, to his many endeavors involving his enemies. 

_"After all, fear is just the precursor to valor." _and _"I'm sorry, but I have to do this alone." _and everything in between. Memories were whisking back and forth around the minds of those who not only lived in Arcadia, but as well as those who resided beneath it.

They had not all known Jim Lake Jr, but they would forever remember him.


End file.
